Claire Saffitz
Contributing Editor
A former senior food editor at Bon Appétit, Claire Saffitz was the host of the popular series Gourmet Makes before leaving the company in 2020. She is the bestselling author of Dessert Person and What's for Dessert and currently hosts a companion series to her books on YouTube, also called Dessert Person. After graduating from Harvard University, she received a master’s degree in culinary history from McGill in Montreal and then studied pastry in Paris at École Grégoire Ferrandi. She lives in New York City with her husband and two cats. dessertperson.com
Cooking
3 Chocolate Cake Recipes You Need in Your Life
Learn how to make chocolate cake, the easy, intermediate, and advance ways.
techniques
How to Make the Chocolate Layer Cake of Your Dreams
Associate food editor Claire Saffitz is here to help you make the best chocolate cake of your life.
Recipes
Four-Layer Chocolate Birthday Cake with Milk Chocolate Ganache and Nutella Buttercream
This chocolate birthday cake recipe calls for dark chocolate in the ganache to balance out the sweetness of the Nutella. For a more kid-friendly cake, use milk chocolate. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.
Recipes
Simple Two-Layer Chocolate Birthday Cake with Milk Chocolate Ganache
Icing on top and in the middle, sides left bare: This modern-looking style shows off the cake’s decadent (and perfectly even) chocolate layers.
Recipes
Chocolate Birthday Sheet Cake
The genius part of this rich and moist sheet cake recipe is the “reverse creaming” method. Instead of creaming butter and sugar before adding the liquid ingredients and flour, you’ll gradually add the liquid ingredients into the flour. As a result, the cake bakes almost perfectly flat—no domed tops, no layers to trim.
Recipes
Slow-Roasted Shallots in Skins
Whole, unpeeled, and roasted to surreal tenderness, shallots are shedding their ”always the bridesmaid” status once and for all.
Recipes
Pork Soup Dumplings
A hearty thanks to Pamela Lau, the talented home cook (and mom of our former staff photographer, Alex Lau!) who generously shared her proportions for the dough, soup, and filling to help us create this recipe.
techniques
How to Roll, Fill, and Pleat Your Way to Homemade Chinese Soup Dumplings
Set aside a leisurely weekend to make a batch of soup dumplings and prepare for everyone you know to marvel at your handiwork.
techniques
You Do Win Friends With Salad, Especially These 3 Showstoppers
Composed salads aren't old-fashioned: These of-the-moment recipes are proof.
Recipes
Passover Chocolate-Toffee Matzo
Feel free to riff on this recipe and use any toasted nut or topping you like—try swapping in puffed rice, pecans, or dried currants.
Cooking
5 Weeknight Dishes to Make in April, From Juicy Pork Cutlets to Our New Favorite Garlic Bread
Introducing: epic garlic bread, juicy pork cutlets, Creamsicle-inspired sundaes, and more inspiration for your weeknight dinners.
Recipes
Steakhouse Salad with Red Chile Dressing and Peanuts
The steak can be marinated a day in advance—in fact, it gets better.
Recipes
Fregola with Green Peas, Mint, and Ricotta
We remixed pasta e fagioli, turning the brothy pasta into a welcome party for our favorite seasonal triumvirate: peas, mint, and ricotta.
Recipes
Grilled Ramps With Sherry-Ramp Vinaigrette
If you have a grill basket, this is a great time to use it. If not, lay the ramps perpendicular to the grill grates so they don’t slip through.
Recipes
Collard Greens Salad with Ginger and Spicy Seed Brittle
When dressing hardy raw greens, it’s good to be aggressive. Fortunately, we’ve got spicy ginger and seedy flavor bombs on hand.
Recipes
Blood Orange–Curd Sundaes with Olive Oil and Sea Salt
Something magical happens when you spoon orange curd over vanilla ice cream. And by magical, we mean it tastes just like a Creamsicle.
Recipes
Pork Shoulder Cutlets with Fennel and Asparagus Salad
Opposites attract: This bright, sprightly salad is just the thing to cut through the richness of succulent pan-fried pork.
